ASSASSINATION  AND  DEATH 
OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


-i 


Enshrined  Within  the  Hearts  of  3Ien\ 
Our  Country's  Noblest  Citizen 


ASSASSINATION  AND   DEATH 
OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

A  CONTEMPORANEOUS  ACCOUNT 
OF  A  NATIONAL  TRAGEDY 

AS   PUBLISHED   IN 

The  DAILY  MORNING  CHRONICLE 
Washington^  D.  C. 

With  an  Introduction  by  F.  Ray  Risdon 


GARDENA,  CALIFORNIA 

SPANISH  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  PRESS 

1925 


^7  3.  Vi.     :  L,. 


La-oX    v--^ 


T 


INTRODUCTION 


SIXTY  YEARS  kave  "passed  since  the  assassination 
and  death  of  Abraham  Lincoln. 

Of  the  many  contemporaneous  accounts  of 
this  tragic  eventy  which  plunged  the  Nation  into 
grief  and  caused  the  whole  world  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  one  who  was  a  friend  of  all  mankind, 
perhaps  none  is  more  interesting  and  reliable 
than  the  record  given  in  the  news  columns  and 
on  the  editorial  page  of  the  Washington  Daily 
Morning  Chronicle^  early  Saturday  morning, 
April  15,  1865. 

With  the  permission  of  Elizabeth  K.  Vincent, 
the  author  of  that  charm^ing,  personal  document, 
"In  the  Days  of  Lincoln/^  which  was  pub- 
lished a  year  ago,  this  reprint  has  been  made  of 
^         the    newspaper    narrative    which   was    given  a 
\^         prominent    place  in    Mrs.    Vincent^ s    girlhood 
^  recollections  of  life  in  the  Nation^ s  capital  during 

^  the  stirring  sixties. 

^  The  Associated  Press  reports,  the  War  Depart- 

^  m^ent^s  dispatches  and  the  official  bulletins  have 

been  omitted  purposely  from  the  original 
account  of  this  dire  tragedy,  in  order  that  col- 
lectors of  Lincolniana  might  have,  in  convenient 
form,  this  thrilling  narrative  as  actually  given 
to  the  world  by  the  staff  of  this  Washington  daily 
on  that  dark  day  following  the  assassination  of 
Americans  gentlest  nobleman,  who,  though  dead, 
looms  today  a  colossal  figure  among  the  sons 
of  men. 

F.  Ray  Risdon 

Los  zAngeles,  California 


MURDER  OF  PRESIDENT    LINCOLN 

ATTEMPT  TO  ASSASSINATE  THE 

SECRETARY   OF  STATE 

MANNER  OF  ASSASSINATION 

Safety  of  Other  Members  of  the  Cabinet 

Description  of  the  Assassin 

The  Police  Investigation 

The  Surgeons^  Latest  Reports 


The  Scene  at  the  Theatre 

jT  half  past  ten  o'clock  last  night,  in 
the  front  upper  left-hand  private  box 
in  Ford's  Theatre,  while  the  second 
scene  of  the  third  act  of  "Our  Ameri- 
can Cousin"  was  being  played,  a  pistol  was  fired, 
and  Abraham  Lincoln  shot  through  the  neck  and 
lower  part  of  the  head.  A  second  after  the  shot 
was  fired,  a  man  vaulted  over  the  baluster  of  the 
box,  saying,  ^^Sic  semper  tyrannis!^^  and,  adding 
another  sentence,  which  closed  with  the  words, 
"revenge  for  the  South,"  ran  across  the  stage 
with  a  gleaming  knife,  double-edged  and 
straight,  in  his  right  hand.  The  man  was  of  mid- 
dle stature,  well-built,  white-faced  and  beard- 
less, save  that  he  wore  a  black  moustache.  His 
hair  and  eyes  were  black. 

The  crowd  ascended  the  stagey  the  actresses, 
pale  beneath  their  rouge,  ran  wildly  about.  Miss 
Keene,  whose  benefit  night  it  was,  came  forward, 
endeavoring  to  quiet  the  audience.  Several 
gentlemen  climbed  to  the  box,  and  finally  the 
audience  were  ordered  out  by  some  gentlemen. 

[7] 


Mrs.  Lincoln,  Miss  Harris  and  Major  Rath- 
burn  (Rathbone)  were  in  the  box  with  the  Pres- 
ident. 

The  Murderous  Attempt  at 
Secretary  Seward^s 

The  report  of  an  assassination  attempted  upon 
Secretary  Seward  having  reached  this  office,  we 
set  out  for  the  Secretary's  house,  and  there  found 
that  he  too  had  been  assaulted.  We  learned 
also  that  at  ten  o'clock,  just  as  the  man  in  charge 
of  Lafayette  Square  called  out  that  the  gates 
were  closed,  a  man  made  his  way  into  Secretary 
Seward's  house,  representing  that  he  was  the 
bearer  of  a  medicine  prescribed  by  Surgeon  Gen- 
eral Barnes,  and  which  he  was  ordered  to  deliver 
to  Secretary  Seward  in  person. 

Pushing  into  the  Secretary's  room,  he  seized 
the  old,  suffering  statesman  with  one  hand,  and 
cut  him  with  a  dagger-knife  on  both  jaws,  then 
turned  and  forced  his  way  into  the  hall,  where 
meeting  with  Frederick  Seward,  the  Secretary's 
son,  he  attacked  him,  and  inflicted  three  wounds 
with  a  dagger-knife  (probably  the  same)  on  the 
young  man's  head,  breast,  and  hand.  He  also 
attacked  Major  Clarence  Seward,  another  son 
of  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  inflicted  upon  him 
several  serious  wounds. 

The  assassin  then  rushed  out,  mounted  a  bay 
horse,  with  light  mane,  and  rode  off,  not  at  a 
gallop,  but  at  what  is  called  a  "pace." 

Doctors  Barnes,  Norris,  and  Nutson  were  soon 
in  attendance,  and  did  all  in  their  power  for  the 
sufferers. 

[8] 


Secretary  Seward  was  able  to  speak  and  swal- 
low, but  both  caused  him  much  pain,  though  none 
of  the  arteries  of  the  throat  were  cut.  The  doctors 
all  agreed  that  the  Secretary  was  in  no  immediate 
danger  of  losing  his  life. 

Secretaries  Stanton  and  Welles,  as  soon  as  they 
learned  the  solemn  news,  repaired  to  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  Seward,  and  also  to  the  bedside  of 
the  President. 

This  being  all  we  could  there  ascertain,  we 
went  in  search  of  the  Vice  President,  and  found 
he  was  safe  in  his  appartments  at  the  Kirkwood. 
We  called  at  Chief  Justice  Chase's  and  learned 
there,  that  he  too  was  safe.  Secretaries  Stanton, 
Welles,  and  Usher,  as  also  Vice  President 
Johnson,  and  other  members  of  the  Cabinet, 
were  with  the  President. 

Guards  were  found  by  us  at  the  residences  of 
Chief  Justice  Chase,  Secretary  Usher,  Vice  Pres- 
ident Johnson,  and  Secretary  Stanton,  and  we 
were  gratified  to  be  able  to  announce  that  all 
members  of  the  Cabinet,  save  Mr.  Seward,  are 
unharmed. 

Traces  of  the  Assassin  of  the  President 

We  then  ascertained  that  the  police  were  on 
the  track  of  the  President's  assassin,  and  found 
that  a  variety  of  evidences,  all  pointing  one  way, 
would  in  all  probability  justify  the  arrest  of  a 
character  well  known  throughout  the  cities  of 
the  United  States.  Evidence  taken  amid  such 
excitement  would,  perhaps,  not  justify  us  in 
naming  the  suspected  man,  nor  could  it  aid  in 
his  apprehension.     A  number  of  persons  have 

[9] 


been  arrested  who,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  able  to 
identify  him.  The  assassin  left  behind  him  his 
hat,  a  spur,  and  a  horror  and  gloom  never 
equalled  in  this  country. 

The  hat  was  picked  up  in  the  President's  boxj 
and,  since  we  began  this  statement,  has  been 
identified  by  parties  to  whom  it  has  been  shown, 
and  accurately  described  as  the  one  belonging  to 
the  suspected  man,  by  other  parties  not  allowed 
to  see  it  ere  describing  it. 

The  spur  was  dropped  upon  the  stage,  and 
that  also  has  been  identified  as  the  one  procured 
at  a  stable  where  the  same  man  procured  a  horse 
in  the  evening.  The  horse  so  obtained  was  a 
dark  bay,  which  was  also  the  color  of  that  mount- 
ed at  the  stage  door  of  the  theatre  by  the  flying 
assassin.  The  horse,  up  to  the  hour  of  2  a.m., 
had  not  been  returned  to  the  stable  j  has  been 
seen  riderless,  with  English  saddle  and  plain 
stirrups,  roaming  the  streets,  but  escaped  from 
pursuit. 

The  Condition   of  the  President 

At  2:15  A.M.,  we  hear  that  the  wound  of  the 
President  is  very  highly  dangerous.  The  ball 
entered  three  inches  below  the  left  ear,  and 
behind  it  a  little,  just  beneath  the  base  of  the 
brain,  took  an  upward  direction,  lodging  in  the 
brain,  where  it  can  be  felt  by  the  surgeons,  but 
whence  they  cannot  dislodge  it. 

An  Attack  Upon  Secretary  Stanton 

Thwarted 
Two   gentlemen   who   went   to   apprise   the 
Secretary  of  War  of  the  attack  on  Mr.  Lincoln, 

[lO] 


met,  at  the  residence  of  the  former,  a  man 
muffled  in  a  cloak,  who,  when  accosted  by  them, 
hastened  away  without  a  word.  It  had  been  the 
Secretary's  intention  to  accompany  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  occupy  the  same  box,  but  pressing  business 
prevented. 

It,  therefore,  is  evident,  that  the  aim  of  the 
plotters  was  to  paralyze  the  country  by  at  once 
striking  down  the  head,  the  heart,  and  the  arm 
of  the  country. 

General  Grant  arrived  safely  at  Philadelphia. 

The  Popular  Commotion 

The  whole  city  was  moved.  The  crowds  that 
poured  through  the  streets  gathered  in  numbers 
on  the  corners  adjacent  to  the  residences  of  the 
various  members  of  the  Cabinet  j  but  the  greatest 
and  most  excited  gatherings  were  on  E  and 
Tenth  streets,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mr.  Peterson's 
house,  opposite  Ford's  Theatre,  to  which  the 
President  was  removed.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  at- 
tended by  Surgeons  Hall,  Stone,  Ford,  May, 
Leiberman,  King,  Surgeon  General  Barnes, 
Drs.  Crane,  Taft,  Leale,  Getz,  McMillan, 
Abbott  and  Buckler. 

They  Have  Slain  Their  Best  Friend 

Comment  on  this  deed  now  were  worse  than 
useless,  were  it  even  possible  to  us  with  our 
present  feelings.  The  perpetrators  of  the  deed 
stand  (we  hope  we  are  not  profane)  like  Judas 
Iscariot — in  thisj  that  they  have  stricken  down 
the  Man  who  stood  forth  their  best  intercessor 
before  the  nation  and  the  laws  they  had  raised 

[II] 


their  Impious  hands  to  slay  by  unprovoked  re- 
bellion. Their  only  shield,  their  truest,  most 
forgiving  friend,  he  who  plead  with  his  people 
to  temper  justice  with  mercy — him  have  they 
slain.    And  who  can  now  tell  the  consequences? 

Police  Headquarters 

No  sooner  had  the  dreadful  event  been  an- 
nounced in  the  street,  than  Superintendent 
Richards  and  his  assistants  were  at  work  to  dis- 
cover the  assassins.  In  a  few  moments  the 
telegraph  had  aroused  the  whole  police  force  of 
the  city.  Mayor  Wallach,  and  several  members 
of  the  city  government  were  soon  on  the  spot. 
Every  measure  of  precaution  was  taken  to  pre- 
serve order  in  the  city,  and  every  street  was 
patrolled.  At  the  request  of  Mr.  Richards, 
General  Augur  sent  horses  to  mount  the  police. 
Every  road  out  of  Washington  was  picketed, 
and  every  possible  avenue  of  escape  thoroughly 
guarded.  Steamboats  about  to  depart  down  the 
Potomac  were  stopped. 

As  it  is  suspected  that  this  conspiracy  originat- 
ed in  Maryland,  the  telegraph  flashed  the 
mournful  news  to  Baltimore,  and  all  the  cavalry 
was  immediately  put  upon  active  duty.  Every 
road  was  picketed,  and  every  precaution  taken 
to  prevent  the  escape  of  the  assassins. 

A  preliminary  examination  was  made  by  Mr. 
Richards  and  his  assistants.  Several  persons  were 
called  upon  to  testify,  and  the  evidence,  as 
elicited  before  an  informal  tribunal,  and  not 
under  oath,  was  conclusive  to  this  point:  the 
murderer  of  President  Lincoln  was  John  Wilkes 

[12] 


Booth.  His  hat  was  found  in  the  private  box, 
and  identified  by  several  persons  who  had  seen 
him  within  the  last  two  days,  and  the  spur  which 
he  dropped  by  accident,  after  he  jumped  to  the 
stage,  was  identified  as  one  of  those  which  he 
obtained  from  the  stable  where  he  hired  his 
horse. 

This  inan  Booth  has  played  more  than  once  at 
Ford's  Theatre,  and  is,  of  course,  acquainted 
with  its  exits  and  entrances,  and  the  facility  with 
which  he  escaped  behind  the  scenes  is  easily 
understood.  He  is  the  son  of  Junius  Brutus 
Booth,  the  renowned  actor,  and  has,  like  one  of 
his  brothers,  in  vain  attempted  to  gain  a  reputa- 
tion on  the  stage.  His  father  was  an  English- 
man, and  he  was  born  in  Baltimore.  He  has 
long  been  a  man  of  intemperate  habits  and 
subject  to  temporary  fits  of  great  excitement. 
His  capture  is  certain,  but  if  he  is  true  to  his 
nature  he  will  commit  suicide,  and  thus  appro- 
priately end  his  career. 

Further  Items  Respecting  the  Assassin 

As  everything  that  tends  to  throw  light  upon 
the  matter  is  of  interest,  we  think  it  well  to  add, 
that  last  evening  a  dark  roan  horse  was  hired 
at  Thompson's  stable,  on  the  corner  of  E  and 
Thirteenth  streets,  at  about  ten  minutes  after 
ten  o'clock.  The  horse  had  a  black  English 
saddle  and  ordinary  stirrups.  The  man  who 
hired  him  was  dressed  in  black,  and  was  some 
five  feet  six  inches  in  height.  When  asked  when 
he  would  return,  he  said,  "Probably  in  two  hours, 
perhaps  never."     He  wore  a  black  moustache 

[13] 


and  goatee.     One  of  the  stable  boys  followed 
him,  but  lost  sight  of  him  on  Tenth  street. 

After  hearing  of  the  assassinations,  the  same 
stable  boy  rushed  to  the  Nav\^  yard,  thinking  to 
head  the  man  and  horse  off,  should  he  prove 
the  criminal,  but  learned  that  the  man  and  horse 
he  described  had  passed  over  the  bridge  some 
time  before^  and  being  told  that  if  he  followed 
he  would  not  be  allowed  back  over  the  bridge, 
he  followed  no  further,  but  returned. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  referring  to  another  column, 
that  General  C.  C.  Augur,  provost  marshal  of 
the  Department  of  Washington,  offers  a  reward 
of  ten  thousand  dollars  to  the  party  or  parties 
who  will  arrest  the  person  or  persons  who  assas- 
sinated the  President,  Mr.  Lincoln,  the  Secretary 
of  the  State,  Mr.  Seward,  and  his  son. 

The  person  who  assassinated  Secretary  Seward 
left  behind  him  a  slouched  hat  and  an  old,  rusty 
navy  revolver.  The  chambers  were  broken 
loose  from  the  barrel,  as  if  done  by  striking.  The 
loads  were  drawn  from  the  chambers,  one  being 
but  a  rough  piece  of  lead,  and  the  others  balls 
smaller  than  the  chambers, — wrapped  in  paper, 
as  if  to  keep  them  from  falling  out. 


[14] 


Assassination    of    President    Lincoln, 

Secretary  Wm.   H.   Seward,  and 

Assistant   Secretary   F.  W. 

Seward  ! 

(an  editorial) 

It  is  with  feelings  of  profound  horror,  sorrow, 
and  indignation,  that  we  are  called  upon  to 
announce  to  the  country  one  of  the  most  terrible 
tragedies  of  which  history  affords  an  example. 
At  about  half-past  ten  o'clock  last  evening  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  was  assassinated  in  Ford's  Theatre, 
in  Tenth  street,  between  E  and  F,  while  quietly 
looking  at  the  performance,  all  unconscious  of 
danger.  He  occupied,  in  company  with  Mrs. 
Lincoln,  and  her  friend.  Miss  Harris,  the  private 
box  in  the  second  tier,  on  the  right. 

The  location  of  the  wound  on  the  skull,  which 
was  inflicted  by  a  pistol  ball,  shows  clearly  that 
the  President  sat  at  the  moment  with  his  face  to 
the  stage,  and  that  he  had  no  intimation  of  the 
approach  of  the  monster  traitor  who  has  robbed 
the  country  of  its  most  precious  life.  The  ball 
entered  about  three  inches  from  the  opening  of 
the  left  ear,  in  the  cerebellum,  or  lower  half  of 
the  head,  and  penetrated  several  inches  into  the 
brain.  The  President  immediately  fell  forward, 
and  the  villain  at  the  same  moment  leaped  over 
the  railing  upon  the  stage.  He  fell  to  the  floor, 
but  rose,  ran  to  the  rear  of  the  stage  and  disap- 
peared, brandishing  a  large  knife  and  exclaiming, 
"The  South  is  avenged!  Sic  semper  tyrannis!^^ 
The  amazement  and  horror  of  the  audience  were 
so  great  as  to  destroy  all  presence  of  mind,  and 
the  wretch  escaped  for  the  time  by  the  back  door. 

[15] 


The  President,  in  a  completely  unconscious 
condition,  was  after  a  few  minutes  removed  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  and  placed  in  the 
comfortable  house  of  Mr.  Peterson,  No.  453. 
He  occupies  the  neat  little  bed-room  in  the  back 
building,  first  floor,  where  he  must  in  a  few 
hours  breathe  his  last. 

Every  aid  which  surgical  and  medical  skill 
could  supply  was  immediately  given,  but  to  no 
purpose.  It  was  our  melancholy  privilege  to  see 
the  great  and  good  heart  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
slowly  giving  up  its  life-blood,  his  heart-broken 
wife  kneeling  by  his  bedside,  which  was  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  members  of  the  Cabinet, 
except  Mr.  Seward,  as  well  as  by  other  dis- 
tinguished friends.  Among  the  latter  were 
Senator  Sumner,  Speaker  Colfax,  General  Au- 
gur, General  Meigs,  General  Farnsworth,  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  and  others. 

Thus  has  the  day  which  was  set  apart  as  a  day 
of  rejoicing  been  turned  into  a  day  of  mourning 
by  one  of  those  astounding  exhibitions  of  desper- 
ate wickedness  of  which  history,  at  long  inter- 
vals, has  given  examples.  Language  would  fail 
us  in  the  attempt  to  portray  the  mingled  anguish, 
horror,  and  indignation  which  pervades  this 
community. 

But  we  may  say,  in  brief,  at  this  late  hour  that 
treason  has  culminated  in  crime  in  the  murder  of 
President  Lincoln,  and  that  since  the  14th  day 
of  April,  1861,  when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired 
upon,  nothing  has  occurred  so  calculated  to  ex- 
asperate the  loyal  millions,  and  cause  them  to 

[i6] 


demand  vengeance  upon  the  authors  of  the 
rebellion. 

It  is  now  five  o'clock,  as  we  write,  and  we  find 
it  indispensable  to  close  these  remarks  with  only 
a  brief  reference  to  the  contemporaneous  effort 
to  murder  Secretary  Seward,  and  his  son,  F.  W. 
Seward.  It  is  not  yet  ascertained  whether  the 
murderous  assault  upon  these  gentlemen  was 
made  by  the  same  desperate  wretch  who  assassin- 
ated the  President.  It  is  probable,  however,  that 
there  were  confederates,  and  that  other  dis- 
tinguished gentlemen  only  escaped  by  accident. 

A  strong  suspicion  was  fixed  upon  J.  Wilkes 
Booth,  an  inferior  actor,  and  the  son  of  the  old 
tragedian  of  that  name,  as  the  murderer  of  the 
President.  But  for  particulars  we  must  refer 
the  reader  to  our  local  columns. 

P.  S. — A  letter  found  in  Booth's  trunk  identi- 
fies him  as  the  murderer. 


Chronicle  Office, 

April  15 — 6  A.M. 

The  President  is  still  alive,  but  is  sinking 
rapidly.  He  cannot  survive  much  longer.  No 
change  in  the  condition  of  Mr.  Seward. 


[17] 


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DEATH  OF 


ABRAHAM  LINCOLN  IS^BEAB! 

If  tears  hfitd  audible  language,  a  shriek 
wouM  go  up  from  these  States  which 
would  startle  the  world  from  its  propriety. 

Strong  men  use  the  impressive  language 
of  women  —TaAue.  Women  bow'  their 
licada  in  the  dust  Chjldren  sleep  trou- 
bledlY. 

Words  are  ^t  thii  time  weak  &nd  vain. 
Let  us  aH,  with  heart  and  TO.ce,  say  that 

"  This  Gravb 

acuui^aAv*  jLtiTvma  monument  !»' 


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